Howdy all. My wife and I are just selling an Airstream trailer and considering a motorhome.
I've been looking at Airstreams but someone suggested a Barth. So I logged in and have been camping out here for a few days. I'm very much into classics and love the look, even though it's very different from the Airstream.
It appears that all of you are very high on the quality put into the Barth.
They look amazing and the interiors "look" like quality. But what about the internals... like heaters, ACs, etc?

Is there a particular year I should avoid? Did quality drop off in the later years?

I would appreciate any thoughts that you might give a newbie.
thanks so much
Hy

Am I correct to assume you are High On Life, by your screen name? Welcome to the Barth community of Frugal Barth Purveyors. I have never seen a bad Barth. Just some Barth campers or coaches get used more than others. Then some set around and get abused by the weather outdoors. There are several for sale here. Buy one or three and you will be HOOKED! Barth ownership cost is way less than an Airstream and many have motors to make them go up and down the road. Others need to be dragged around with a truck or SUV.

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On a camping trip one day I chatted with an Airstream owner. He could not believe we paid nearly the same price and he did not even get a generator. Mine has a Kubota Diesel generator and a 10.4 liter engine to push it where ever I go.

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Search the site with the advanced search and enjoy.

Welcome to Barthmobile.com! As you can see these were high end coaches in their day. During the 80's and early 90's Barth had a niche in the market selling high end aluminum midsize coaches from about 25 to 35 feet.

They attempted to sell larger coaches up to 40 ft in the 90's but could not compete with the Prevost, Bluebird, etc. They went bankrupt in 95, started again and made a few more until 1998 when they closed for good. In those last 3 years the cabinets and quality was not quite as high for some of the coaches.

The Barth coaches are often almost unique. Options included several floor plans, ACs, refrigerators, heaters and other accessories. They were built in Elkhart, Indiana in the heart of RV land. Most interiors, especially 80's, were Amish cabinets of walnut, oak or cherry of exceptional quality. Most were built to customer's order, hence the wide variation.

Most of the accessories were of the usual RV brands, Dometic, Atwood, Sharp, etc.

Gassers were mostly GM chassis until about 1989, then some were built on the Ford/John Deere platform.

Early diesel pushers (83-86) were 35 ft Regencies with Detroit Diesel 8.2 engines. That chassis is harder to find parts, but had independent suspension and is one of the best riding coaches ever. The 8.2 engines ran well but are very sensitive to overheating.

From about 86 on, the DP models were Spartan or Gillig chassis with Cat or Cummins engines, reliable and parts are still available.

Condition varies. Considering the youngest ones are now almost 20 years old, they can be found in all states, some pristine, some pretty beat up.

Example: my 1986 33 ft tag axle gasser coach (454 GM chassis) sold new for about $170,000!

I bought it in 2011 for $10,000. I have since spent much more to repower, replace all brakes, suspension, driveline, tires, heaters, ACs, fuel injection system, etc.

I have almost 40,000 miles since then and have enjoyed almost every minute.

As we say here on the site, unlike other old coaches, you can fix these faster than they break.

Browse the site, you will find a ton of information. Good luck with your search.

Thanks for the replies. They were very helpful. So Steve, would you avoid '95 Barth because of bankruptcy that year or was the quality still there.
I really love the "bus" look of them. Even the shorter ones. Very cool lines.
thank you again.

I would be more likely to avoid the early diesels with the 8.2 DD. All over 30 years old and more orphaned than the later Barths.

From 95 on they made mostly the larger coaches, 36-40 ft. They had Cat or Cummins engines and can still be maintained. The only down side I know of is they began to cut corners a bit. Some of those coaches did not have the fiberglass insulation found in the earlier ones, also the cabinet work was lower quality, but still very nice.

We almost never see two Barths exactly the same. At the right price any one would be OK if you inspect thoroughly as you would for any machinery of that age.

This site has good archive info on the coaches and the people who keep them on the road. If you end up with a gas coach you will see many threads on maintenance and repair. (In a few weeks I'll be replacing my transmission, it will be explained and photographed.)

There is much info for diesels as well but most owners do not do their own work on these so the threads are less in depth.

Perhaps the best thing here is not the coaches themselves but the owners who are attracted to them. We have a lot of mechanically minded owners who have experience with airplanes, cars, motorcycles, engines, and boats.

I have met some really interesting people and made many good friends here.

Have Barth, will travel

Detroit 8.2 is the penny pincher. Good fuel economy from the Detroit. The gauge system needs a bell and buzzer to alert the driver of engine functions like my old VW.

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Doug, have you had any issues with your 8.2 motor coach?

Jim and Barb recently sold their 85. Really nice coach, good price, well maintained and had the desired 8.2 engine mods. I would be tempted by that one.

Don't get me wrong nothing really bad about them but they do need attention. An overheat alarm would be ideal.. an ounce of prevention...